Hljóðaklettar and Rauðhólar from Vesturdalur

From the car park cross the footbridge over the Vesturdalsá and take the right-hand path north along the Jökulsá side, past the short spur to Kirkjan, the church, a domed cave in the columns, and on through the rock towers of Hljóðaklettar. Keep north up the slope to the red scoria craters of Rauðhólar and take the short spur to the viewpoint at their crest. Come back south on the inland path below the craters to the footbridge.

It is 5.2 km round with 146 m of ascent; allow about 1½ hours. The grade is Moderate: rocky, uneven paths with short climbs.

Hljóðaklettar are the worn cores of old craters, laid bare when glacial floods scoured the canyon; their basalt cooled into rosettes and fans of columns. Rauðhólar are some 8,000 to 9,000 years old. The national park rates the round challenging, and walking off the marked paths is not allowed. Keep back from the canyon edges, and expect snow and ice from autumn to spring.

Parking is free. Vesturdalur is in Vatnajökull National Park, about 15 km south of Ásbyrgi by road 862 and the short spur 889. The northern part of road 862 gets no winter snow clearing, so after the first snows it may be impassable until spring: check umferdin.is. There is no bus.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.